Chapter 28. Purge (2)

Translator: Lili

At Sera’s declaration that she was stripping the team of its autonomy, the manager’s face stiffened. She smiled sweetly and asked him again.

“You don’t look pleased. Do you have any complaints?”

“Oh, n-no, of course not. It’s just… I’m only concerned that if you personally oversee even the minor tasks, the workload might become too overwhelming for you, Vice President.”

“That’s a very considerate way of telling me to sit back like a figurehead and just sign off on things.”

“No! Not at all. I would never mean it that way.”

“It’s great to ride the right wave for a promotion, but first, you should focus on keeping your position. Defying your superior’s orders won’t do your career any favors.”

At Sera’s blatant threat, the manager’s face twisted in humiliation. Dropping his forced politeness, he shot back in a sharp voice.

“Are you… threatening me right now?”

“Threatening? How scary.”

Sera watched his frozen expression with amusement as she manipulated her phone. The moment she pressed play on the audio file, the manager’s eyes widened in shock.

– To be fair, she is pathetic. Born with a golden spoon in her mouth, and this is the best she can do? Maybe that level of incompetence is a talent in itself..

– You saw her in the meeting earlier, didn’t you, Manager? She was silent the whole time like she was taking some kind of vow. The chairman must have been thinking there’s no hope for her.

– The chairman is an admirable man, but he really failed when it came to raising his children…

It was a recording of a conversation Sera had once overheard in the break room.

Realizing that not only had she caught them talking behind her back, but she also had solid proof, the manager’s face turned deathly pale. Stammering in panic, he scrambled to explain himself.

“V-Vice President… This is… a misunderstanding. I really didn’t mean it that way…”

“Just like how what I’m doing isn’t a threat, I know your words were just jokes.”

Cutting off his incoherent excuses with a cold voice, Sera placed her phone down.

She had played the recording to break his spirit, but she never actually intended to threaten him.

She simply didn’t like him on a personal level. The manager was, after all, a respected leader and a talented professional. It was true that Sera Shin’s track record had been pathetic, and everyone badmouthed their bosses behind their backs when they weren’t around. Making an issue out of something like that would just be petty.

“I believe that in informal settings, people sometimes say things they don’t truly mean just to go along with the atmosphere. That’s why I’m not making a problem out of this. You understand what I’m saying, right?”

“Y-yes, of course. Whatever you say, Vice President.”

“Then there’s no problem. All you have to do is continue working as competently as you always have. Just make sure everything goes through me and that my name is on every result. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

Even Sera thought she sounded like a villain. But she knew that unless she played this role, she would never be able to step into the circle her team had drawn to exclude her. She had no room to cling to pride.

“So? Your answer?”

With a relaxed expression, Sera pressed for a response. After a brief silence, the manager finally spoke in a resolute voice.

“Of course, I will follow your orders. I apologize for any trouble I’ve caused you.”

“Not just that—you also overstepped your place quite a bit.”

“…Yes, that as well. I sincerely apologize.”

Only after he had completely surrendered did Sera withdraw her threat and flash a bright, innocent smile.

“Let’s do well together from now on, okay?”

***

Rumors spread like wildfire within Sungwon Trading—Sera Shin had changed. The biggest shift was that the once-arrogant Planning Team had suddenly switched into full-on loyalty mode.

It might not have been out of their own free will, but that didn’t matter. Sera’s philosophy was that a little shamelessness was a small price to pay to achieve her goals.

Now that she had successfully embedded herself into the organization, she adopted an entirely cooperative stance, as if she had never played the villain in the first place. She prioritized the opinions of her team members and never acted arbitrarily.

“Looking at past records, it seems we once prepared to declare a coal phase-out but scrapped the plan. What was the reason?”

‘It was mainly due to short-term revenue concerns. There were also issues regarding our relationships with business partners.’

‘We’re constantly being criticized for not taking any steps toward sustainable management. Since it’s something we’ll have to do eventually, let’s just get it done this year. Start preparing again.’

At first, the team members had underestimated Sera. But over time, they began to acknowledge her. She was more capable and diligent than they had expected. The fact that their expectations had been so low in the first place also played a role.

“Ugh… my head’s going to explode.”

Late at night, nearing midnight, Sera sat in her office, buried in documents, clutching her head. Staring at complicated data for hours on end was making her dizzy.

‘Why is it that even in a ridiculous drama setting, I can’t get rid of my worker bee mentality?’

She sighed, but there was no helping it—diligence was ingrained in her. Besides, this world was too realistic to dismiss as just a drama. If anything, it was so close to reality that she wondered if the production team had been sued for defamation by now.

There was no such thing as a supporting character buff in a place like this. There was no miracle that would suddenly transform her into a brilliant chaebol heir. The only way to compensate for her lack of ability was through overtime.

Just as she was struggling to gather her fading concentration—

“You haven’t gone home yet, I see.”

“Chief Baek?”

A polite voice broke the silence in her office. Sera looked up and blinked in surprise when she saw Chief Baek standing there.

“You haven’t left either? Come in.”

“Pardon the intrusion.”

“Oh, please. You’re the one working late. Must be tough.”

“Not as much as you, Vice President.”

The two of them exchanged pleasantries as they sat facing each other. If she had a secretary, she would have at least offered some tea. Regretting that she couldn’t, Sera gave Chief Baek a friendly smile instead.

“So, what brings you here?”

“I hesitate to say this, as I don’t want to offend you…”

Looking slightly awkward, Chief Baek trailed off before finally speaking.